10 years ago today, The Purple One, the incomparable Prince Rogers Nelson passed away! Ƭ̵̬̊

Happy Heavenly Birthday to one of the Kings of R&B, the incomparable Luther Vandross! 🎤🎶

It’s 2026 and this still looks like the future.

47 years ago today, Donna Summer released “Hot Stuff” as the lead single from Bad Girls.

The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three non consecutive weeks and earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1980 in the inaugural year of the category.

21 years ago today, Mariah Carey released her magnum opus, The Emancipation of Mimi! 🦋

All released in 1993. Be honest… has there ever been a year like this in music?

30 years ago today, Maxwell released his debut album Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite.

No. 38 Billboard 200, No. 8 R&B
• 2× Platinum (RIAA) + Grammy-nominated
• Helped define late ’90s neo-soul
• “Ascension” Top 10 R&B + standout singles
• One of the most influential R&B debuts

22 years ago, Janet Jackson released Damita Jo.

Damita Jo debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earned two Grammy nominations (including for “I Want You”), and has sold three million copies worldwide.

2 years ago today, Beyoncé released COWBOY CARTER.

The album earned critical acclaim and major chart success, topping the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart while igniting cultural discourse on the overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to American country music.

That time Phoenix recreated some of her mom Mel B’s iconic Scary Spice looks… the resemblance is unreal 💫

Happy Anniversary to the legendary Songbird Supreme, the incomparable Mariah Carey! 🦋

Happy 82nd Birthday to The Boss, Diana Ross! A career, a voice, and a presence we’re still trying to catch up to! ✨

Happy Heavenly Birthday to the legendary Queen of Soul, the incomparable Aries diva, Aretha Franklin!

26 years ago, Romeo Must Die, starring Aaliyah and Jet Li, was released in movie theaters!

Happy 73rd Birthday to the legendary Queen of Funk, the incomparable Aries Diva, Chaka Khan.

Happy 56th Birthday to the legendary and incomparable Queen Latifah! 🔥

Ernie Barnes’ “The Sugar Shack” (1976) / Sinners (2025)
Black art inspiring Black cinema.

Academy Award-winning actor, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners! #Oscars

Academy Award-winning director, Ryan Coogler for Sinners! #Oscars

The Sinners tribute truly celebrated the Delta blues that shaped the film. #Oscars

29 years ago today, the cult classic Love Jones, starring Nia Long and Larenz Tate, premiered in theaters!

Zendaya in vintage Caché at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, inspired by the custom Eugene Alexander dress worn by Whitney Houston in 1987. ✨

One thing about late 90s / early 2000s R&B videos…
the artist was always confronting another version of themselves.

Mariah vs Bianca
Destiny’s Child vs Destiny’s Child
T-Boz vs T-Boz

Happy International Women’s Day!!

One thing about the ’70s: the music was revolutionary, and the album artwork was too.

24 years ago today, Brandy released her third studio album Full Moon. 🌑

The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 156,000 copies in its first week, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over 1M+ copies in the USA.

Happy Women’s History Month! 🎶

Whitney Houston really loved the R&B girls who came after her. No competition, just grace, support, and open arms. That kind of legacy will always warm my heart. 🖤

27 years ago today, TLC released their third studio album, FanMail.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 318K copies in its 1st week, produced 2 No. 1 singles, won 3 GRAMMYs, was certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA, and has sold 10M copies worldwide.

41 years ago today, Whitney Houston released her self-titled debut album.

• Topped the Billboard 200 for 14 non-consecutive weeks.
• The FIRST debut album & the FIRST album by a solo female artist to produce 3 #1 singles.
• The longest-running #1 debut album by a Black artist.
• Certified Diamond.